full of bliss

Enjoy!

So, this is my first time doing a post using TypePad's new "Blog it" feature. It seems fairly easy and straight forward. I only hope that it makes blogging easier for me. I have such a difficult time keeping up with the blog and flickr. This feature seems like it will make it easier to combine the two if I need to.

I posted this photo on flickr today and talked about my love(some might say addiction;-)) to Diet Coke. Ohhh...how I love the stuff! I've tried to kick it but I just can't seem to live without it.

Anyhoo~If anyone out there reads this and has any tips or tricks on the "Blog it" feature, please let me know. Have a great day and enjoy!

                                                                                                       XO~Bekah

Block Party (~.~)

I just sent off my block for a "block" party hosted by the wonderful Elizabeth of Creative Breathing. The party was to celebrate her 300th post. She asked all those who were interested to create a 5x5 cardstock block and send it to her. In return she sent out the most beautiful blocks, created from her amazing vintage card collection. This is the adorable block she made for me.~

 This photo belongs to Creative Breathing

Don't you think it's just the cutest!?! If you haven't(which I am sure most of you have)please check out her amazing blog. She has posted all of the sweet blocks she created, plus those made by all her super talented readers.

This is the Cuckoo-Clock Block I created for the party~

First off,  I must admit this was my very first paper project. I don't scrapbook and I have always been so intimidated by all the tools and options out there. I find all of the choices so overwhelming. So, I knew I needed to have a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I started with the idea of including things that I knew we both loved, blue birds, mushrooms, cuckoo-clocks...there was my idea, a cuckoo-clock! After all, one of my very favorite projects of Elizabeth's was this adorable felt cuckoo-clock~

This photo belongs to Creative Breathing

So, that was my inspiration and putting it together was a matter of trial and error. While the finished product is far from perfect. I think that it expresses my love for all things whimsical and my love for all the beautiful things Elizabeth has created. She is a generous and talented woman, and I thank her for being one of my very first flickr and blog friends. Here's to 300 more posts Elizabeth!!! Thank you for teaching us how to be Creative Breathers!

 

                                                                                                  XO~Bekah

 

Dinner for Two, Just Me and You

  Last night the boys were away at a baseball game so it was just Livy and I home for dinner. We had nachos just the way we like them plain and simple with cheese, homemade guacamole, sour cream, and chopped olives. That's it! I told you it was plain and simple. It's so fun to sit down at the table with my little girly and look into her eyes and ask her all kinds of questions and get all sorts of funny answers.

   She was most excited about the fact that I let her have a slice of lemon and a coke on ice. Don't you just love kids and how the funniest little things can seem like such a big deal?

 

 I have been feeling rather melancholy lately due to the fact my little baby girl just graduated from preschool and will be entering kindergarten next year. Same goes for my darling boy, he is turning into such a wonderful young man right before my teared up eyes. I can't help but get a lump in my throat at the thought of them growing up so fast. The school years are just flying by and no matter how hard I try to hold on to each and every moment they slip by just as quickly as they came. Well, enough of that, I just need to put my big girl pants on and be happy for each and everyday I am blessed to have with these two amazing little people.

 

 

   I am in the midst of packing us up for a weekend at our family's beach house. I love to go and spend time on the beach with the kids, looking for beach glass and shells. Of course I get so excited for all the photo opportunities it affords me. So, be on the look out for my next post filled with some beachy goodness and I am hoping to have a few of my latest and greatest thrift store finds to add. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and don't forget those wonderful Father's you have in you lives!

~Bekah

Giddy With Excitement

Some new stills for the new Tim Burton "Alice in Wonderland" movie were just released, and to say I am excited would be a HUGE understatement. If you are at all interested in this movie there is a great article here with amazing high resolution photos and concept art. You must check it out.


Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts. Don't you just love the make-up!?!



Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. All I can say is Aaaahmazing!!!



I must admit I am not a huge Ann Hathaway fan, but she looks really beautiful here as the White Queen.


Anyhoo, I just had to share my excitement with everyone. I don't know how I am going to be able to wait until March 5, 2010. The official website just went live as well, so go and sign up for updates.

Zippity Zoo

 I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago when we took a trip to the zoo. I have been so busy lately with all of the end of year functions and sporting events, and haven't been spending much time on the computer lately. Now, that the end of the school year is almost here and sporting events and cub scouts and all the other activities that fill our life during the school year are coming to a close, I hope to be able to blog a bit more. 

   Last Friday(actually a couple of weeks ago) was a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest, it was the perfect day for a visit to The Woodland Park Zoo. The Woodland Park Zoo is one of the most beautiful zoos I have ever visited, and I don't say that just because it's our home town zoo. I really mean it! We have been members of this amazing place for about 8 years now and it has provided our family with countless hours of fun and enjoyment!

A little history of the Woodland Park Zoo. The Zoo sits on 92 acres, less than 6 miles north of downtown Seattle, and includes a beautiful 2.5 acre rose garden. After the city of Seattle bought the property in 1899 from the estate of a wealthy sawmill owner, they hired the Olmsted Brothers of Massachusetts to design the park. The Olmsted Brothers were famous for designing Central Park in New York City. Since then the Zoo has gone through many renovations and innovations. The Woodland Park Zoo has been a front runner in natural habitat exhibits. In 1976 it became the first zoo to exhibit gorillas in a natural setting. They have won many awards for several of their exhibits and it is definitely a jewel in the crown of the Emerald City!

 

Hurry up let's go!!!

 

 

Peek-a-Boo! Are ya commin or what?

 

 The beautiful iron fence to the rose garden with roses waiting to bloom. I will have to share pictures when the garden is in full bloom. It is a sight to behold. The rose garden is one of only 24 American Rose test gardens in the US. Growing conditions are prime due to our mild climate here in the Pacific Northwest.

African village huts.

 

 

At certain times of the day you can feed the giraffes with the giraffe keeper.

  

One of Jake's favorite exhibits, The Island of Komodo dragon!

 

 

  

My favorite thing about the zoo is the way they have laid out the different biome zones. It truly feels like you are in a different part of the world when you enter these areas. The flora and fauna are amazing!

 

 

The rain forest. It's just like being lost in the Amazon!

 

 

Mr. Toucan

 

 

I love this fence in the family farm area. It looks so quaint!

 

 

The barns at the family farm.

 

 

Shake your tail feather! Aren't these gorgeous tail feathers?!?

I could watch these guys all day long!

Thank you for coming along with us on our visit to the zoo! I hope you are able to make it out to your local zoo this summer and have a real "wild" time.;-)

 

XO~Bekah

 

 

 

 

So Much Fabric So Little Time

 

  Well, I have started one project with my newly thrifted fabrics. I found the perfect vintage pattern that has a totally mod look, it will be the perfect match for this pink flower and paisley fabric. The fabric is very light weight, so it will make a great little summer dress for Olivia. I finished the front last night and hope to have the rest done soon(yeah right!).

 

 I am making the sleeveless collared dress on the far left.

I have had my sewing machine since high school, but I am still not very comfortable with sewing clothes. One of my goals this summer is to make several things for Olivia. Let's keep out fingers crossed.(~.~) 

 

 

               

Last night I had the urge for some cupcake sweetness, all I had on hand was a box of funfetti cake mix(I am such a sucker for funfetti) and a tub of Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting. I added a little vanilla and some orange zest...mmm,mmm, so good!

 

 

Of course, I had to use Martha Stewart cupcake papers and sprinkles too!;-)

Go ahead take your pick, I promise they are delicious!

 

 

 This last photo was an alternate for my Whispery White Wednesday entry on flickr today. I found the Lefton hands at the junk store, about a month ago for 99cents. I just love them and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to photograph them. They are actually a vase, but I think they make a great catch all for jewelry.

 

  Thanks for stopping by! I love to read all your comments, it's such a great feeling to know you enjoy some of the things I put on here!

 

                                                (~.~)Bekah

  

I Heart Nature

 First off, I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes, support and all around lovely comments on my last post! Everything went well and I am no longer afraid of the Etsy machine.;-) I can't wait to make some more items to add to the shop.

 This past week I have spent a lot of time outside even though it has done nothing but rain here. I have really fallen in love with taking pictures of the little details of nature. I have been laying in the mud, crouching in the bushes, standing on my tippy toes, all to get little peeks into the enchanted green world. I have always loved ferns, moss, lichen, and of course mushrooms. I have always thought little fairies and gnomes call these places home, I still like to imagine this is the case. So, today I am going to share some pictures I have taken over the last week or so. Most of them are all naturey, but I have to stay true to the mood I am in right now, and it's a green one.;-)

 

         

                   I love how this patch of moss looks like glistening green stars.

        

This is one of the blooms on my snowball tree. In a couple weeks they will be completely white.

         

                   A glistening drop of water on the sedum autumn joy.

            

         Looking inside one of my hostas after the rain. It reminds me of a waterslide.

 

         

                            One of my favorite plants, hens and chicks.

 

          

                    Lichen and moss on a tree branch after the rain

 

          

                The lily of the valley are almost in bloom. I can't wait!

 

          

  My little friend Barnum the cat came to see what I was up to. Barnum is about 12 years old, he is still the most amazing hunter. He brings me a lovely gift(usually a mouse) almost everyday. Such a good boy, always earning his keep.;-)

  I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the glorious green around my yard. For those of you who need a little bit of pink and a little sparkle, I'll leave you with this~

 

    Have a wonderful day!!!

 

                                                                        (~.~)Bekah

  

 

 

 

The Blissful Garden Crew

 

So I finally did it! I actually have some things up on etsy...woo! hoo! I tell you what, I don't know how some of you ladies do it. All the pictures, writing the descriptions, figuring out how much to charge...aaagh! I felt so nervous about each and every aspect of this. I just hope everything goes smoothly. I think from now on I am going to just add a couple items here and there. I found that I was putting so much pressure on myself to get a lot of items done, it was becoming more of a dread than something fun. I started to feel like my creative juices were being drained and replaced with feelings of nervousness and fear. I do think, now that I have taken the plunge, I will feel much more relaxed about it the next time. So, here are the little guys that I finished. I still have a few that aren't quite finished yet, but they will just have to wait until the next go round.

   

Queen Bee-Bop

 

  

Mr. Bugaboo

 

 

Miss Prim Rose

 

 

Miss Carly Crocus

       

                    Millie and Mattie Mushroom

 

Miss Prim's Parasol

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I feel like I have been completely out of the loop. I tried to make myself stay away from the computer as much as possible this last weekend so I could get some things done. Now, I have so much catching up to do. So many blogs to visit and comments to be made. Thanks to everyone for the May Day wishes! Now, I am off to check out what I have missed since Friday! Oh, and get started on some Mother's Day crafts.;-))) XOXO!!!

 

                                                                                   (~.~)Bekah

Happy May Day!

 

 

Just a little bouquet for all my friends and family, Happy first of May!

 

                                                        (~.~)Bekah

Pretty in Pink

    I would like to start this post by thanking all of you for your well wishes on my etsy venture. You are all so kind and supportive. While on the subject of my shop, I hope to have everything done this weekend so that by Monday, all systems will be a go.

   The past weekend, I worked like crazy each spare moment I had, to try and get some crafting done, so I have been a little one track minded as of late. However, I thought today I would show you all a pretty arrangement that would be great for a Mother's Day table and is really, pretty inexpensive.

    I started out with this thrifted California Pottery vase/urn. It is the prettiest soft pink color and I only paid $4.95 for it! 

 

 

Next, I soaked the oasis in water for a couple of minutes and placed it in the urn. I then cut a piece of chicken wire, shaped it and placed it over the oasis. This really helps hold all the flowers and foliage in place.

 

  I call this "greening it up", I used feather eucalyptus and ivy from my yard. Cheap and easy!

 

 

 I purchased 1 dozen roses(pink Malibu), 1 bunch of alstromeria and 1 bunch of tulips at the local grocery store(Safeway). The roses are only $9.95 for a dozen, a great deal for quality roses. All total, I spent about $18.00.

 

 

I started adding the roses, making sure it looks good from all sides.

 

 

Now, the alstromeria and tulips are added. I wanted to keep this arrangement a little low so you can see over it when seated at the table.

 

 

  The last thing I like to do is fill in any empty or bare spots with left over greens. Making sure to let some of them drape down a bit.

 

 

  The final product, all for under $25.00(not including oasis and chicken wire). A beautiful centerpiece that should last for at least 5 days. The tulips might have to be replaced a little bit earlier, just make sure to check that it doesn't dry out.

 

 

 

Timeless Elegance ;-))

Thanks for joining me in some floral fun!

           

                           (~.~)Bekah